Living health promotion: Mothers' knowledge and current practices regarding the nutrition and physical activity for their preschool children

Children's lifestyles profoundly affect their health and wellbeing. In particular, preschool children's nutrition and physical activity practices impact on their health. The purpose of this action research study was to explore how families manage to provide good nutrition and physical activity opportunities for their preschool children despite the challenges of daily living. The ultimate goal of this study was to inform nursing practice and improve health promotion programming for families with young children. Seventeen mothers of preschool children participated in focus group meetings. In the spirit of action research, goals and questions were developed and thematic statements decided upon in collaboration with mothers during focus group discussions.;This study makes the point that mothers, as traditional nurturers of family health, have a sophisticated understanding of health as it pertains to nutrition and physical activity for preschool children. Mothers have an ecological viewpoint that recognizes health as an individual and collective responsibility. They understand how income and demands on their time can contribute to poor individual choices. They also believe that society has a role when it comes to the socialization and public safety of children. Mothers somehow recognize that the delivery of health services remains in the hands of health care providers who control how these services are delivered, and how social systems that determine health are constructed. These mothers have a sense of individual and community agency. They want better communication with providers. They want providers to address the inconsistencies in health services. They want nurses to represent them as proxy agents to help them navigate the health bureaucracy. In short, they want providers and policymakers to help redesign the prevailing system to a more collaborative model.;Themes that emerged from the conversations are organized under two main headings. The first, Social Challenges for Families, describes the challenges that mothers face everyday. Many are already well known as determinants of health. However, mothers also identified the intrusive influences of living in a consumer society as a major concern. The second, Parental Knowledge and Social Support, explores mothers' lay knowledge, perceptions and innovative practices in providing nutrition and physical activity for their preschool children.